Richard Gill (2)

Richard James Gill AO (4 November 1941 – 28 October 2018) was an Australian conductor of choral, orchestral and operatic works. He was known as a music educator and for his advocacy for music education of children. His awards included an Order of Australia Medal in 1994, a Centenary Medal in 2001, the Bernard Heinze Award for services to music in Australia, and an honorary doctorate from the Edith Cowan University of Western Australia for his service to Australian music and musicians. In 2001 he received the Australian Music Centre's award for 'Most Distinguished Contribution to the Presentation of Australian Composition by an Individual'. In December 2005, he was awarded the Don Banks Music Award 2006 by the Australia Council for the Arts. In 2016 he was promoted within the Order of Australia to Officer level. Gill was awarded a MOST Achievement Award in July 2018 "in recognition of his exceptional contribution to the Arts in Australia as both a conductor and as a music educator". Two weeks later he was awarded the Arts Leadership Award at the 2018 Creative Partnerships Awards, held at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Gill died on 28 October 2018, aged 76, from cancer The day before he died, more than 70 musicians (including a police band) gathered outside Gill's home in Stanmore, in Sydney's inner west, and played for Gill and his family (who were inside the house), including "The Dam Busters March" (reportedly "Gill's favourite song from his favourite movie"). [Image: By TEDx Talks, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=73952717]